Mamabee

5 Things to Consider Before Getting a Tattoo

Thinking about getting a tattoo? Don’t just walk into any studio near you. There’s a lot to consider before getting inked. We’ve discussed them below.

Think Hard

Think hard about the design you want to get. It’ll be on your skin permanently. Speak to the people in your life about what you want to get. You may not see that a certain design would be a problem, but they would.

Whatever you do, don’t ink someone’s name, especially if they’re your partner. What happens if your relationship breaks? You’ll have to get a cover-up tattoo or get the original lasered off, which costs a lot.

The internet is your best friend. You can easily find cool tattoo ideas for men and women. Image heavy sites like Instagram and Pinterest would be ideal.

Be Safe

To make sure you work somewhere safe, go through the requirements that your state has for tattoo parlors. Whoever you’re working with needs to comply with them.

Take a look at the studio itself. How sanitary are its tattoo artists? Get them to run through how they sanitize their equipment, as well as what they use.

Tattoos are essentially open wounds – the studio’s cleanliness is important. Speaking of wounds, tattoo parlors offer piercings as well. You’ll especially need to consider how sterilized the environment would be if you’re going to get a piercing.

Position

You might’ve decided what you want to get inked, but have you thought about where it would be placed? Some spots are better than others. Getting a design inked on the fingers and feet isn’t ideal. You’ll be wearing socks and shoes constantly, so friction would cause the ink to fade.

Having tattoos on your hands means that they’ll be exposed to sunlight, so they can become lighter soon.

Getting ink on some spots can hurt more than others. If you have low pain tolerance, it won’t be smart to get a tattoo directly on your ankle for instance.

We mentioned how tattoo parlors also offer piercings. If you’re in Toronto ear piercing options are vast. Just like tattoos, where you get the piercings would either hurt or not.

Touch Ups

As a newbie, you might not realize that all tattoos fade. Yes, ink in places exposed to the sun and friction would fade faster. However, all tattoos fade over time. Find out whether the artist you’d be working with would touch up for free. If not, how much would be charged?

Follow the Advice

Once the ink is on, you can’t go back to normal life right away. Tattoos take around 2 weeks to heal, and larger ones require more time. Until it’s healed, it’s essentially an open wound. You’ll be given special ointments to use. You can shower (keep the area clean), but don’t soak.

Remember to follow the artist’s advice. You’ll soon be all good to go!

To sum things up, a lot has to be considered when getting a tattoo. Make sure about the design you’re getting too.